The Chicago Bears started the 2026 NFL Draft with a bang by selecting Dillon Thieneman in the opening round. But Chicago will be looking to build on that pick when they go on the clock with the No. 57, No. 60, and No. 89 overall picks on Friday night.
The second day of the draft is where the meat of the class is secured, and Chicago did that one year ago by taking Luther Burden III, Ozzy Trapilo, and Shamar Turner in the second round. With the Bears knowing how important Day 2 can be, they’ll need to set their priorities straight, and that includes making a run at Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas.
Aside from playing college football in the Bears' backyard, Jacas is the type of versatile edge rusher the Bears should be looking for, and it could help an average pass rush improve in 2026 and beyond.
Bears Should Target Gabe Jacas on Day 2 of NFL Draft
Jacas played in a 3-4 scheme with the Fighting Illini, but he may be able to play the edge in Dennis Allen’s 4-3 scheme in Chicago. While he’s a little light at 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, he struggled when dropping into coverage, posting coverage grades of 47.8 and 58.4 over the past two seasons at Illinois, according to Pro Football Focus.
Those numbers may suggest that Jacas could be better with his hand in the dirt, and his pass-rush numbers back that up. Jacas finished the 2024 season with 44 quarterback pressures and 8.0 sacks and had a strong encore with 41 pressures and 11 sacks in his final collegiate campaign. While he needs to improve against the run, it's not as if he was a complete disaster in that regard, with 61 run stops over the past two seasons.
For Chicago, the pass rush numbers are what make Jacas so intriguing. The Bears’ defense excelled at generating turnovers a year ago, but they struggled to get to the quarterback, finishing 22nd in pressure rate (21.1 percent) and tied for 22nd in sacks (35). While Montez Sweat did his part with a team-high 10 sacks, Austin Booker was the next among edge rushers with 4.5 sacks. Followed by Dominique Robinson’s 1.5 sacks.
The Bears have other needs entering the second day of the draft, with defensive tackle and cornerback as key priorities. But after spending all of last season trying to find a tag team partner for Sweat and even burning assets to bring in Joe Tryon-Shoyinka at last year’s trade deadline, who is now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, using a second-round pick on an edge rusher seems like the smart play.
While others like Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas, Clemson’s T.J. Parker, and Michigan’s Derrick Moore are potential targets, Jacas makes sense and should be a name the Bears strongly consider if he’s available when they’re on the clock Friday night.
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